Always
by Dove of Ages
Summary: You'll be in my heart, Haruhi. Always? Always.


_Weird urge to write fan fiction... Random and spazmatic... Probably the bad mood I'm in.... One of my best works yet, actually. Who knew it would come from a bad mood? Well, enjoy. Comments are appreciated. Thank you. _

_-.-_

_Come stop your crying, it will be all right. Just take my hand... and hold it tight. _

Hikaru had looked everywhere for her; up and down the school halls and back again, outside and inside, everywhere and anywhere. She wasn't anywhere to be found. No where. Absolutely gone.

_Crack!!_

Thunder boomed outside and Hikaru flinched and broke into a sprint. She had to be here! This was where he and Kaoru had left her only half an hour ago; studying. As soon as he had seen the storm clouds he had ordered his driver to take him back. Now!

Lightning struck so close outside the building, Hikaru could have sworn that he felt the electricity. Thunder was ringing in his ears almost instantly; it shook the floor and knocked him slightly off balance as he kept running.

"Haruhi!" he cried, running fast as he could towards the club room; the only place he hadn't checked. Which, he would realize later, was kind of stupid of him. Where else would Haruhi be? The football field?

He burst into the room right as another peel of thunder crashed, echoing menacingly around the room, seeming to come from the floor itself. It lasted a long time; too long.

Hikaru dashed towards the changing room, not seeing Haruhi in any obvious spot in the room. As he threw the door open, a small noise sounded from behind him.

His heart skipped a beat as he whirled. Haruhi...

She was there, curled up underneath a table, back against a wall, hands tight over her ears. She was crying, sobbing. It would have been pathetic to anybody who saw her and didn't know her.

To Hikaru... it was beautiful... but also one of the most heart wrenching things he had ever seen.

"Haruhi..." he murmured softly, stepping over to her and kneeling. "Oh, Haruhi..." he touched her hand, just ghosting over her flesh to alert her of his presence. She shuddered and whimpered.

"H.. Hikaru.." her eyes cracked open slightly and fresh tears poured from them.

Hikaru's face softened as he gently crawled in beside her and pulled her into his lap. She curled up against him, face buried in fabric of his shirt.

Thunder clapped, shaking the entire room.

Sobbing, Haruhi curled up tighter against Hikaru, clenching her ears shut with her hands while also trying to cling to his shirt.

Hikaru held her closely. "Shhh...." He murmured in her ear as she gave up trying to block the thunder out and merely clung to him. "Stop crying.." he whispered gently, feeling her muscles relax slightly. "It'll be all right, Haruhi. I promise." Tenderly, he took her hand and squeezed it.

_I love you, Haruhi..._

She squeezed it back.

_I love you, Hikaru. _

_I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry. _

Hikaru rested his chin on top of Haruhi's head and breathed in a long breath through his nose. "I promise Haruhi... I'll protect you."

"I believe you, Hikaru..."

"I will be here. Don't cry..."

_For one so small, you seem so strong. _

She was so small, he realized one day. Thin, short, tiny, beautiful, delicate. If he touched her she would shatter and break. His touch was sure to be callous and hard; it would break her to peaces.

But then she would bravely stand up against Tamaki, who would fling all of his weight on top of her; Hikaru flinched every time. Surely her bones would shatter.

And then he would see her emotional and mental maturity; her smart and tactful discussions with the girls she was hosting; her precise answers during class or on her homework; her tasteful replies; even her denseness was mature.

She often made him feel small when he compared his maturity level to hers.

She was so small compared to him, but so much stronger.

_My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. _

She was strong, but also weak. Haruhi always needed him in a storm. Always. He would run to her, wherever he was, and hold her tight in his arms. Only then was he stronger than her.

She was his rock, his safe place.

And he was hers.

_This bond between us, can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry. _

Their bond was impenetrable; unbreakable; undeniable; and absolutely steadfast. She was his best friend, and he was hers. He loved her, and she loved him.

Their love was different, though. Strong, not of this world, almost. It was a thing of beauty, this love of theirs was. He cared more about her than he did about himself in any and all circumstances. And it was the same for her towards him.

And it couldn't break, this bond; nothing could shatter it. Nothing could break it down.

Nothing.

_Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more._

Haruhi didn't have a certain place in his heart; she had every place in his heart. She was a vine that had grown up and around everything, gently tangling herself in every bit of his love; all of the love he had was connected to her somehow.

She would always be there; always. Yesterday, today and forever. She was going to be there. She wasn't going to leave.

And he knew that he was in her heart the same way.

_You'll be in my heart. No matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart... always. _

Of course there were people who rejected the idea of them being together. There were always going to be people who rejected their love. Always.

But they couldn't let those words affect them, they decided. They couldn't. Even if it hurt to have people look at them with scorn and dislike and disapproval. And it hurt, yes it did.

"I don't care what they say." He whispered in her ear as he held her close to his chest. "I don't care. You'll be in my heart, always."

"Always." she echoed, confirming her feelings for him.

Always.

_Why can't they understand, the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain. _

The others couldn't understand how they felt. The others couldn't explain it. They didn't trust that it was real. "It won't last." they murmured among themselves as they watched Haruhi and Hikaru together. "It'll be over soon."

And, overhearing this, Hikaru would smile at Haruhi and she would smile back. "They're wrong." Hikaru would whisper.

"Always." Haruhi would whisper back.

"Always." Hikaru would echo as he leaned in to kiss her.

_I know we're different, but deep inside us, we're not that different at all. _

"They're polar opposites. They will end up arguing too much to stay together."

But the arguing just made their relationship grow strong. And their differences just didn't matter.

"We're not so different." Haruhi would say. "I feel the same way you do."

Hikaru would smile and agree.

Even if their personalities had a stark difference, they held the same emotions. They were the same in ways that people didn't have the eyes, or the hearts, to see.

But Haruhi and Hikaru saw. They knew what was the same and what was different; and that was part of what made their bond completely indestructible.

_And you'll be in my heart. Yes you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more. _

"You'll be in my heart." Hikaru would say over the phone as they bid goodbye at night.

"Always?" she would ask.

"Always." he would reply, and ask the same question. "Always?"

"From this day on, now and forever." she would reply.

And they would hang up.

_Don't listen to them. Cuz what do they know? We need each other, to have and to hold. They'll see in time! I know._

Then came the day they graduated. Haruhi was off to a college in America and Hikaru was to travel with his twin and mother, studying hands on the clothing styles of the world.

"They should give up. There is no way they are strong enough to hold up a long distance relationship. Never."

Hikaru, holding her close at the gate of the airport, whispered in her ear, "Don't listen to them. What do they know? They're just stupid."

She would smile and reply, "They don't know how much I love you."

"Or I you."

"We'll be together again someday, right? Always?"

"When we are together again, we'll be together forever. We'll get married."

She smiled.

_When destiny calls you, you must be strong. I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on. They'll see in time, I know. We'll show them together!_

Haruhi called Hikaru one night, in tears.

"I miss you." she cried.

Heart soft and aching, Hikaru replied, "I miss you too. So much, Haruhi. But... please, keep going. This is right, you being in college where I know you'll succeed and me working on my designs. Only a little longer. Keep holding on."

She sniffed. "I'll... try..."

"We'll show them together, Haruhi. We were meant to be."

"Yeah." she smiled through her tears. "Always.

_Cuz you'll be in my heart. Believe me, you'll be in my heart. I'll be there from this day on, now and forever more. Ooh, you'll be in my heart. (You'll be here in my heart!) No matter what they say. I'll be with you.. You'll be in my heart (I'll be there) always. Always... I'll be with you!_

She would always be in his heart, and he would always be in hers. He would always be there for her when she needed it, and she would always be there for him when he needed it.

Always.

_I'll be there for you always! Always and always. _

That's what they said when they told each other their vows.

"You'll be in my heart. Always."

Always.

_Just look over your shoulder. _

"Hikaru... I miss you..."

"I've only been gone on this business trip for one day Haruhi. You miss me already?"

"Do you not miss me..?

"I missed you as soon as I couldn't see your face."

_Just look over your shoulder..._

"Hikaru, when are you coming home?"

"Soon, darling. I promise."

".... Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'll be home as soon as I can."

_Just look over you shoulder...._

"It's... not the same looking at the stars without you, Hikaru."

"I know it's not, love. You won't have to look at them alone for long."

"You're coming home?"

"Just look over you shoulder."

_I'll be there, always. _


End file.
